Serge Lutens

Re: Serge Lutens

Cuir Mauresque:

I never thought Tabac Blond could be improved upon. Cuir Mauresque is a beautifully rich and smooth leather fragrance with a very subdued candied orange note. Itís sweet, muted, powerful, and very rich. Tabac Blond can be difficult to wear in many situations; itís heavy and unrelenting, but Cuir Mauresque has a balance and user friendliness that Tabac Blond does not. This is also much in the same vein as Dzing! A sweet, almost gourmand leather fragrance.

Miel de Bois:

I am a huge honey fan. Ever since I was tiny one of my favorite treats were those plastic tubes filled with honey. Iíve got a few wonderful honey based fragrances (Chergui, Mechant Loup, etc), but nothing I have smelled ever really captured the true essence of honey, the way I know and remember it. Let me start out by saying I have never smelled a fragrance like this in my entire life. This smells exactly like fresh unprocessed honey stored in a wooden jar. The honey accord in Miel de Bois is not overwhelming, heavy, or cloying; itís a fresh and raw honey that smells as sweet as it does alive. This honey accord is balanced with a very dry wood, which also keeps Miel de Bois from being anywhere near cloying. Miel de Bois is also very long lasting. This is the best honey fragrance I have ever smelled. Itís definitely in my top 5! Wow.

Vetiver Oriental:

Vetiver Oriental is my favorite Vetiver interpretation. Most of the vetiver fragrances on the market are just a bit too boring. Most smell just like a vetiver essential oil with a little bit of citrus mixed in. Vetiver Oriental, on the other hand, is a deep, rich, and complex vetiver based fragrance. With hints of dry coco, this is a sensual and exotic vetiver.

Santal de Mysore:

Santal de Mysore is SO unique. Itís like no other sandalwood fragrance ever made. The sandalwood doesnít really take center stage in this fragrance. Instead, the opening notes are dominated by a thick and heavy carmel like accord, and the drydown is very heavy in cumin. This fragrance is really a sum of all its parts. Itís rich, sweet, spicy, and woody. An amazing lutens creation that must be tried.

Sa Majeste la Rose:

Sa Majeste la Rose is the best rose fragrance I have come across. Itís a ripe and dewy rose fragrance with notes of honey to further soften it. Itís also got a very interesting green nature that makes it smell, quite literally, alive. That would usually be harsh and grating in a rose fragrance, but the honey neutralizes the green nature of the fragrance amazingly well. This can easily be worn by either gender. Highly recommended.

MKK:

MKK is such a warm and dirty fragrance. It smells so alive, like it is coming off of a hot animal or person. MKK also has a very odd vegetable influence, which gives it an almost sour nature. It dries down to something that is warm, dirty, and slightly floral. This is the ULTIMATE musk fragrance. There is nothing like it, and nothing better.

Fumerie Turque:

Fumerie Turque is my favorite Serge Lutens fragrance. Itís a rich and smoky fragrance with hints of rose that are barely tangible through the thick and rich smoky tobacco notes. Itís not really sweet per se, but it has just enough to make it the richest and deepest oriental Iíve ever smelled. Itís all put together by a warm boozy base. This is the best Serge Luten.

Douce Amere:

Douce Amere is a very nice Oriental with the traditional Lutens touch. I always associate Ďpurpleí with this fragrance. Douce Amere is a very mysterious and pretty thick. Anise and powdery coco take center stage in this blend. My only complain is that itís a lot sweeter than it is bitter. Other than that, this is what Lolita Lempicka for men would be like if Serge Lutens re-did it.

Chergui:

Chergui is one of the most beautiful honey based fragrances I have come across. Itís very rich and full bodied. There are notes of hay and spices that offset the sweetness beautifully. This is a very warm and well blended fragrance. One of Lutens best

Arabie:

Arabie is basically the quintessential oriental. Itís a VERY thick and spicy oriental. Itís also got dry and almost candied fruit notes that make it smell like some sort of exotic dessert. Itís amazing on the coldest winter days. I will say that is unbelievably strong. Arabie is the only fragrance that can give me a horrible headache with more than two sprays. If youíre looking for the ultimate oriental, then this might be for you.

Ambre Sultan:

Ambre Sultan is the best Amber fragrance. Most Amber based fragrances can be pretty linear and sweet. Ambre Sultan, however, has a very spicy counterpart, which gives it many more dimensions. Itís also one of the more animalic Amber fragrances out there. This is a very elegant and seductive fragrance that is surprisingly versatile for a Lutens. A must own for any Amber lover.

Re: Serge Lutens

Originally Posted by AZsmells

Great reviews Julian. Those are all my favorites too except for Arabie. Another one I really like is Un Bois Sepia. I can't wait to try the new one Borneo 1834.

Arabie is a tough one. I love it for what it is, but when I wear it, I sometimes find myself purposefully breathing through my mouth because it's so strong. It's really something else as far as fragrance goes. I even find it to be a departure from most SL's

Re: Serge Lutens

Originally Posted by IPaidForThisName

....Sa Majeste la Rose, Arabie &amp; Ambre Sultan....

Finding my own thoughts in your phrases like moonlight dancing on a mountain river! Thank you, Ipaid!
Fortunately, I get no headache from Arabie, my favorite. From 'hors de France' I have not had a chance to try CM, FT and MKK yet. I know they r e a d as if made for people like me, and I must go there some day.

Re: Serge Lutens

I always thought that all SL perfumes were very well made but you tell you the truth none of them really grabbed me. There very well made perfuems but there doesn't seem to be that extra punch that I'm looking for in a fragrance. They all seem to smell alike in a way. I also get some kind of vanilla note in most of them.

Re: Serge Lutens

Originally Posted by rjrober22

[quote author=Killer Vavoom link=1127217422/0#9 date=1127237932]IPaid, I love Miel de Bois immensely, but trust me--MdB is very humble when compared to MANY of the Arabic honey-based fragrances. You gotta try those ones

I just went through som old sample vials from...Who knows where&quot;
I found MdB....Pretty DAMN good.
I think I'll give it a full wear tomorrow to see if I REALLY like it.
[/quote]

Sorry, although MdB is good...I am mistaken...I just sampled the Sepia one....really good.

Re: Serge Lutens

My top two are Muscs KoublaÔ Khan and Cuir Mauresque. One that hasn't been mentioned is Iris Silver Mist, an austere, paper-dry Iris that warms up to something akin to the real thing. Bois et Musc and Bois de Violette are lovely too. Other than that itšs been such a long time I smelled them so I don't dare comment on them.

Re: Serge Lutens

Originally Posted by fenton_t_fox

always thought that all SL perfumes were very well made but you tell you the truth none of them really grabbed me. There very well made perfuems but there doesn't seem to be that extra punch that I'm looking for in a fragrance. They all seem to smell alike in a way. I also get some kind of vanilla note in most of them.

I have exactly the same with the SL-line (I'm only talking about the 6 or 7 I've smelled of course). They are good but not special. The only one that stands out a little bit is Vetiter Oriental but even then, there are better vetivers....

So if I take the extreme price into the consideration, I don't think I'll ever buy a SL.

Re: Serge Lutens

Agree with Julian about Miel de Bois, which scent manages to keep distinct both the honey and the wood notes, rather than turning them into indistinct drydown sludge. Another point in its favor is that it is one of the longest-lasting scents ever.

Chene is another personal favorite, but I don't suppose it's for everyone. It's a very distinct, herbally green and raw wood with something of paint stripper about it, which makes it very enigmatic and difficult to comprehend. I don't think it's something to ponder. You either wear it or dismiss it.

Vetiver Oriental is dry-sandy-raspy stuff with an attractive scratch to it. Don't get the chocolate note in this one.

Was a bit disappointed in Santal de Mysore. Besides the fact that it isn't really a sandalwood fragrance, it's actually fairly wimpy on the skin, going off hot like a flashpot and then deconstucting into nothingness relatively quickly, leaving only the traces of some red curry behind.

Ambre Sultan I have bought twice but each time I want something that it isn't delivering and I can't work it out. No question that it's the-the among sandalwoods, but I think it's wearing a bit thin and lacking depth overall with my chemistry, although the oregano note can't be beat.

Re: Serge Lutens

Hi! I just discovered the nirvana of scents that is Serge Lutens! OMG his scents or so alluring and complex i can't even begin to describe how thrilled i am in discovering his line! As odd a manner of description as this is... his scents are truly beautiful. Or maybe i've just been using too many commercial brands, lol!

But there are so many!! I tried a few scents but there are only so many i could put on trial per go. Plus, i fell in love with every one i tried, ahaha... -_-" So i need major recommendations! HELP!

I pretty much buy perfumes according to their "personas." Can someone make a few suggestions to match each category:

Re: Serge Lutens

Originally Posted by IPaidForThisName

Arabie is a tough one. I love it for what it is, but when I wear it, I sometimes find myself purposefully breathing through my mouth because it's so strong. It's really something else as far as fragrance goes. I even find it to be a departure from most SL's

I agree with you on Arabie. For me ,one of Sergie's best is Chergui and Tubereuse Criminelle.

Nuit de Cellophane, Fleur d'Oranger, Amber Sultan, A La Nuit, Chergui, these seem to be big hits, which categories will they fall in?

Thanks so much!

You sure do know what you want!

Descriptions 1 & 2 sound like reviews of Sa Majeste La Rose. For #4 try Douce Amere or possibly Arabie (though the latter is definitely strong and some people find it too much). Arabie could also apply to #3 as well - although there are no florals in the composition, believe me everything else is there.

Re: Serge Lutens

I've been enjoying Gris Clair and will probably pick up a bottle soon. I suppose some say it's a little too harsh, others say it's really very boring, and many say it's just not a Lutens. I find it bold, meditative and constant, and very unlutens, so I agree but that's why I like it!

Re: Serge Lutens

I did buy Fumerie Turque blind and I do like it a lot, but not looooove it. I was reading various descriptions of Fumerie Turque and saw the words Balkan Sobranie and Latakian Tobacco. I went that day to the local cigar and pipe store who had a large bag of Latakian Tobacco. Damned if Fumerie Turque didn't smell just like it.

I also like these by Serge Lutens: Cedre, Rousse, Chypre Rouge, Ambre Sultan, MKK, and would love a bottle of Fille En Aiguilles which I wore from sample for Christmas last year.

Your nostrils, which will dilate immesurably in unspeakable contentment, in motionless ecstasy, will ask nothing better for space, for they will be full of fragrance, as if perfumes and incense; for they will be glutted with complete happiness, like angels who dwell in the peace and magnificence of pleasent heaven.
(From Maldoror by Comte de Lautreamont)

Re: Serge Lutens

Re: Serge Lutens

I just want to express my love for this fragrance house. As you may or may not know, this house creates challenging scents. One would say that their frags are not the crowd-pleaser type of smell. But to me, their scents are very unique, hence making it so interesting and appealing to me. We all know that creating a scent doesn't just take one day to make. It is a work of art. And Serge Lutens perfumes are truly "scented art" in a bottle. Looking forward to owning more from their line.

Re: Serge Lutens

I'm about to embark on a fragrance shopping binge in NYC, and this thread is no help whatsoever in terms of helping me resist the irresistable. The siren call of the SL counter at Barney's. . . I am helplessly drawn in. . .

Big fan of Chergui myself. Wearing Ambre Sultan right now. And lately I've been enjoying Daim Blond on very cold and clear winter days. Next on my list: another warm, sweet, spicy lutens. Five o'clock au Gingembre is on the short list. Fumerie Turque. . . mmmmmm, yesssss. . .

Re: Serge Lutens

I don't feel there really is a ''best'' Serge Lutens; they stand out in different categories. Iris Silver Mist, Rose de Nuit, and Tubereuse Criminelle are all highlights in my opinion, but they're all good in very different ways and in very different styles.

Just yesterday I had a nice PM exchange about Serge, and I'll recap something I said there: for those just exploring, the export range, non-weird, not floral ones I'd recommend are Chergui, Ambre Sultan, Chene, Fille En Aiguilles, and Borneo 1834.

Re: Serge Lutens

The only SL fragrance I've tried that I didn't strongly consider shelling out for on first sniff was Encens et Lavande. I want to make sure I am getting something that I'll wear and that fills a niche in my wardrobe before committing that much money to a bottle, so I've held off buying the rest of them until I am sure. So far have tried Chergui, Fumerie Turque, Borneo 1834, Muscs Kublai Khan and the aforementioned Encens. I can't say which one I like better out of those, they're all beautiful and different, and there's no objective, quantitative way of determining "best" so these sorts of questions are kind of silly. However, you couldn't go wrong with any of the above.

Re: Serge Lutens

Re: Serge Lutens

I own quite a few now. My top five, after much concerted sniffage (in no particular order)

Borneo
Fumerie Turque
Fille en Aguilles
Santal de Mysore
Serge Noire

They are royalty because they are A; unique B; exceptionally balanced C; exhibit a high degree of taste, artistic discernment and bravery and D; are technically excellent in every respect. Serge Noire, Borneo and Fumerie just gobsmack me with their artistry- I like to think of myself as creative but they humble me and I am down with that.

Arabie only just falls short of the gold standard because she is such a stinky slapper (but in the best possible way) and I think the hairspray note in opening could have been handled better. I forgive it because it supports the otherwise pure gluttony + exotic awesomeness so well. It really nails that eastern stewed fruit thing. The sexiest pilau ever.

Fleurs d'O is strident, demanding, beguiling, sometimes almost repulsive, winding around your neck like a lustrous constrictor. Everything a citrus scent just shouldn't be, but it's so beautiful. Serge knocked the fey right out of that shit.

Jeux de P is the skin of someone you're dying to have sex with + the blackened corner of a heavy fruit loaf as it is knocked out of the tin. Caramelized, vapourized allure on two levels; simple, unsubtle, successful.

Chergui is the hot breath of the desert shoving you on your arse; dry grass, dead trees full of wild bees, irisy powder, nameless syrups and a dozen other mysterious players. It's far too much, even more than Arabie, an enormous shrieking drag queen pushing past the bouncers, but then it manages spectral sophistication after an hour or two, a very strange achievement.

Ambre Sultan- the queen of ambers. Belongs with the top 5 really but for it's simplicity. Golden, immense, almost airless. Justifiably beloved.

MKK- delightful, don't be afraid of it, it's a little princess really, not butch in the least. I was expecting a sweaty warlord mounted on a giant civet but I get pretty pink fur, honeycomb and powdered cleavage more than anything.

Rahat Loukoum - Im flipping off a lot of haters when I say this but it IS wonderful. Broken cherry stones and distant marzipan and rosewater and expensive lipstick that you've kissed off someone else. Naughty and spankable.

Five o'clock A G- relatively new to me but obviously delightful, powdered ginger morphing into tea buns and cinnamon in a shaker and something delicious just coming out of a neighbour's oven along with something cool and enduring, perhaps fresh slices of root ginger.

A La Nuit- Fucking gorgeous jasmine. That is all.

Datura Noir- Another hater fave but when you ignore the hysteria and just smell the darn stuff, it's undeniably beautiful. At once a reconstruction of the very difficult smell of white brughmansia, like a mosaic you have to stand back from to see the whole, and a walk through an equatorial garden at night. Slather it on.

That's all I can think of for now. I've tried a little over half the line; none are horrible, all are quality, and it's mostly a matter of personal pref, which is something any house should be proud of. I've yet to experience a SL scrubber; only Tubereuse C has gotten anywhere near that dubious distinction.

Re: Serge Lutens

Too broad to select 1 - Serge Lutens has many worth buying - Cedre, Santal de Mysore, Cuir Mauresque, Fumerie Turque, Chergui, Arabie, ambre Sultan, Borneo 1834, MKK and others - I own all these and many more; its tough to pick 1 - better for you to select a particular note - say tobacco / leather / musc / gourmand / floral etc before u start selecting this parfum or any particular niche house that offers this many good parfums...
If you want a pick w/o checking out the notes, I'll go with either Chergui or MKK - these 2 are probably their best sellers. I would strongly suggest against a blind buy for this line, as they are complex and just buying 1 based on reviews may not work for u...